Black Mountains Smokery is celebrating after winning one of the food and drink industry’s most prestigious awards.
The Great Taste Awards, referred to as the Oscars of the food world, saw the Crickhowell based company’s Smoked Duck Breast taking the Golden Fork from Wales award.
In another victory for Wales, Dà Mhìle Distillery’s Absinthe from Ceredigion, also earned the Nigel Barden Heritage Award for highlighting traditional production methods and heritage.
Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, the Great Taste Awards are the acknowledged benchmark for the speciality food and drink sector. In this year’s awards, Black Mountains Smokery was awarded 3-stars for their Smoked Duck Breast, as well as a 1-star for their Peppered Oak Roasted Salmon.
Black Mountains Smokery is a renowned family-run business located near Crickhowell. They specialise in producing a wide range of delicious oak smoked foods, including smoked salmon, smoked fish, meats, cheese as well as food gifts and luxury Welsh hampers. Their products are crafted using traditional methods and the finest ingredients, ensuring exceptional taste and quality.
Their Smoked Gressingham Duck Breast is lightly cured and gently hot smoked over Welsh oak and is their bestselling product. The judges described the product as “a plump, attractive duck breast which has an enticing pink blush and a distinct oak smoked aroma. The balance of the cure and smoke is well-judged to enhance the clean flavour of the duck. This shows great finesse. It really is as good as it gets – simple, pure and all about the duck.”
Jo Carthew of Black Mountains Smokery is incredibly proud of their achievements,
“We are thrilled with our Great Taste success this year. To have 3-stars for our smoked Duck Breast and a 1-star for our Peppered Oak Roasted Salmon is a huge achievement in itself but being named Golden Fork from Wales is amazing.
“The awards are a reflection of the whole team’s dedication to quality and passion for creating exceptional, truly artisan, smoked food products. We are proud to be able to call ourselves Great Taste producers.”
Dà Mhìle Distillery is an organic distillery located on a farm near Llandysul, Ceredigion. Established in 2012, it’s known for producing a variety of high-quality, organic spirits, including whisky, gin, rum, and liqueurs.
With a focus on sustainability and traditional distillation techniques, using only organic ingredients sourced from their farm and surrounding areas, their 3-stars hand-crafted Absinthe has a natural warm-green colour and umami flavour. In addition to its Absinthe, the distillery also picked up 1-star for its Dark Skies Rum, and also its Apple Brandy.
Preserving the craftmanship of spirit making, John Savage-Onstwedder, founder of Dà Mhìle believes their approach reflects a deep respect for the past while producing exceptional award-winning spirits.
“We are truly honoured to receive the Nigel Barden Heritage Award for our Absinthe. We are committed to only using traditional methods in our production process to ensure the highest quality and flavour. By employing age-old distillation techniques and organic ingredients, we maintain the authenticity and rich flavours.
“We would like to thank the whole team at Dà Mhìle for their hard work. We are delighted!”
Congratulating them on their achievement, Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies said,
"I’d like to congratulate Black Mountains Smokery and Dà Mhìle Distillery on their success in the Great Taste Awards. It is a shining example of the excellence and innovation that our Welsh food producers bring to the table.
“The Welsh food and drink industry is a vital part of the economy and seeing so many products from across Wales get recognised in these awards, proves that food and drink from Wales has a deserved reputation for quality and taste. We are proud to support our producers and celebrate their achievements on such a prestigious platform."
In a remarkable showcase of culinary prowess, 149 products from across Wales were winners at this year’s awards with 97 products achieving 1-star, 45 receiving 2-stars and 7 earning the gold stamp of approval with 3-stars.
Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme that tests both food and drink. The awards are globally recognised as a mark of excellence and eagerly sought after by producers and food-lovers alike. Each entry was meticulously blind tasted by the Guild’s expert judging panel of over 500 food critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, and other specialists in the field of food and drink. Entries were analysed across 92 judging days, each receiving detailed feedback, whether or not they obtained an award.
These Great Taste award winners can now proudly display the iconic black and gold Great Taste logo as a symbol of outstanding quality.
A full list of this year’s winners and where to buy them can be found at www.greattasteawards.co.uk.
For further information on Black Mountains Smokery visit Smoked Salmon, Meat, Cheese, Gourmet Food Gift Hampers (smoked-foods.co.uk).